Page 12 of Last Resort (Betas in Waiting #29)

T he teams were seated together and watching some of the clips from the day. Win and her pack were together at a table in the restaurant with what had to be her parents. When Poppy and her two walked in, Win stood up, ducked below the table, and brought her camera up. Poppy knew that Win was seeing what they were, what they had been, and what they could be, and she was getting it all in her camera.

They walked to the restaurant and asked for a table.

Win was still going as they turned to follow one of the servers to a table. Poppy made a face at Win, and she jolted and blinked. Oh, sorry. I got carried away. You three look spectacular on every level.

Thank you.

Win grinned. And extremely scary.

Myro and Breen smiled. Thank you.

You have met your parents?

Win nodded and glanced back. Jia and Alwin. They live on one of the Breakridge Islands. Nice and quiet.

Did you have a nice visit?

Yes. They are still here until I head back, and then we will pop back and forth until we are starting a family, and then they have to do the popping while we take care of a little one that is not going to match any of us.

One of Win s mates came up and said, Not at first. They will change when they are teens, but no one will drive our children out of town or kidnap them.

Cool. I am sensing a lot of sleepovers in the future of our little group.

Win grinned. Yeah, I could see that you have started your expansion pack.

Funny.

Well, it is a gamer event. It stands to reason... holy hell. The camera came up, and Win began to take pictures of two very attractive Elite omegas who were walking along with swaying hips and eating ice cream.

Myro murmured, Is that the wildling you mention?

Mickey? Oh, no. That isn t Mickey. That wildling is Honey. I don t recognize the woman next to her, but they do make a striking pair.

Estrya walked up from her table with her own pair and spoke to the ladies, who calmly licked and destroyed the ice cream.

That was when it clicked. Oh, wow. Twins. Actual twins. One is marked, and one isn t.

Myro blinked. What?

Identical twins, Myro, but they are divided by magic, not genetics.

The one that wasn t Honey had her hair pinned up with a spike, and her pointy ears were exposed, but they looked different. There were jagged spikes near the tip of each ear.

Breen stared and squinted. Are those...

Myro laughed. Yes, they are. I m gonna ask. Myro got up, walked over to the pair, and greeted them. He spoke quickly, gestured toward Poppy, and then listened. He grinned, thanked them, and walked back to the table where Poppy was ordering some mocktails and her appetizer.

Breen grinned and placed his order for a beer and water with lemon. Myro rattled off his order and sat. Well, that is Honey, and her sister is Asel.

Poppy nodded. And?

Honey was doing a lot of teaser shots, and Asel is going to be a performer on the day it goes live over on Emerald. She just had today off.

Neat. Poppy smiled as the beverages arrived.

They ate their appetizers, the entr es that followed, and they could see the day s clips from their vantage point.

It was dinner and a movie, almost like an actual date.

Asel walked to their table and smiled. Poppy, may I give you a hug?

She smiled and came around, giving the other woman a hug. Asel was pure muscle and very thin despite her appearance.

Asel smiled. Illusions are handy things.

I don t remember sending you to the queen s home.

You didn t. One of the others got me out of the battery pack, and we took ourselves out of there.

Poppy frowned. Battery pack?

Breen understood. They were draining them like they were draining us.

Oh. How many of you?

Four. They came at us a dozen at a time. One of the girls was taken when they used her family as hostages. They linked us up and used us for passive energy draw.

Poppy blinked. Damn. But you are okay now?

Nothing a few dozen meals won t fix, hence the ice cream.

Poppy cocked her head. What is your specialty?

Illusion and fire, but it s cold fire.

Breen nodded. That makes sense. They have been out of the country.

Asel smiled. Good. I got myself back two years.

Poppy blinked. You can do that?

The woman shrugged. I did it, so yes. I wouldn t do it to anyone else. It wasn t a smooth trip.

Poppy blinked. Two years, and you are still...

Yeah. I was in hospital on drips for quite a while. They called it an eating disorder but got me mobile, and I was able to get my illusions working again. Then I found a job, and Honey found me, and things felt more normal with every passing day.

Poppy stared at her. I feel like I have seen you.

Win walked up, smiling. I know I have. I was at the demon wedding. I saw your beta self there.

Asel blinked and laughed. Yeah. I was.

Win asked something quietly. Did you see any of the others in your prison?

A few. We talked when we could, and when we got out, we weren t... good. So, we used the wake of Poppy s energy and pulled ourselves back the two years and stumbled to a hospital. What we didn t realize was that the energy drain would continue while we were out. So, Honey and I had a farmhouse, and all of us holed up there while Honey made money to bring home the groceries.

Win looked at Honey, So when we asked you to help...

I was ready. I knew what that moment meant. It was life or death for them. Honey chuckled. This stubborn twat wouldn t let me give her any of my strength.

You needed it for work. Asel nudged her with an elbow.

Win took a deep breath. Do you know a Lydia?

Asel smiled slowly. I do. She makes an amazing peach cobbler.

Win had tears in her eyes. Can you tell me where she is? Her children and husband miss her.

Asel nodded. Give me your phone. When you are back, call me, and I will tell you where to find us.

I thought it was weird not to find anyone over forty.

After we aren t fuckable, they put us in the battery. There were four of us. Only one of us was in the older age range.

Win and the others stared, but Honey explained with a grin. She bites. A lot.

Asel smirked. Surprise.

Breen chuckled. I would expect nothing less.

Poppy asked, Why?

Because of what I can see when I look at her. Her mates are vicious. It is unsurprising that she matches them.

Aw, no wonder you are keeping him. He s a sweet talker.

Honey chuckled.

Win handed her phone over, and Asel put her number in. When you get home, call me. I will arrange a meetup. Her kids are Lykon and Lyric, right? Husband is Axel?

Win grinned. That is correct. She talked about them.

Non-stop.

Win bit her lip. May I touch you? The actual you?

Okay, but I am going to scare the locals.

Win smiled. Go ahead.

Asel nodded and let the illusion drop. The Elite nearby gasped.

Poppy could see every bone, every tendon. Asel looked a step from death.

Win smiled. I can work with this.

Poppy watched as Win touched Asel s arm and hand, and the woman gradually fleshed out, taking on the curves that matched her sister, and a diamond mark formed just below her collarbone. Another mark was a peak that covered her forehead and rested just between her eyes. The mark was made of dark gold, the diamond formed into glittering black, and her ears twitched.

Honey had tears in her eyes. Oh, Asel, you are back.

Asel flexed her hands. Thank you, Win. I am incredibly hungry.

Win shrugged. You will be. And thirsty as well. I fluffed you out, and power is holding everything in place until your biology can be persuaded to take over. It will take a few days, but you will be back to yourself as soon as you can physically replace what was missing. The energy drain is gone; now, you need to eat.

Asel grinned. I don t think my wallet can handle it.

Honey smiled. I ve got it. Come on. You can stuff your face and then practice again.

Asel bowed to Win. Thank you again.

It is literally what I am for.

Call me when you are home. I will let Lydia know that they still want her.

Win smiled and hugged her. They definitely do.

Asel hugged her in return. Right. Hate to hug and run, but I need a lot of food.

The server came over and said, Miss, I am sorry to overhear, but the owner has authorized us to provide you with whatever you need.

Honey asked, Are you sure?

Yes, miss.

Honey smiled. Okay.

Asel said, I need to start with about three litres of coconut water. To start.

They were directed to a seat, and Honey sat next to her sister, both of their marks blazing.

Poppy said, Wow. Is it just me, or is power building up around here fast.

Myro said, That is Asel s nature. She gathers it. She was the inverter between the light and dark. The pull from her slowed quickly, though, and I think she was drawing from herself more than us.

Asel and Honey were chatting and laughing while Asel chugged the coconut water with a determined expression.

To Poppy s astonishment, the servers gathered around the ladies and were extremely attentive. What is going on there?

Myro smirked. Something that makes me very glad for our link. Honey has an animal attraction, and Asel attracts everyone.

Poppy asked, What?

Breen grinned. It is a defense mechanism that will fade when they are mated. They can always call for help, anywhere, anytime.

Why will it fade when they are mated?

Their mates will come when they call. They won t need to summon others.

Win was talking with her mates, and she nodded and made a call.

Poppy wondered what was going on, but she shrugged.

Asel looked over, picked up her phone, and made a call. She spoke, and just as she started to smile, Win was over with her phone. Asel lined up the phones and set them on speaker, and mother and daughter were reunited after years of separation via phone.

Asel smiled at Honey, and it was so strange to see the same face but definitely two separate people.

Poppy sighed and smiled. So, tomorrow, we hit the beach? Alphas and betas or elfing out?

Breen chuckled. I think alphas and betas is safer. It is certainly easier to tan. We can alternate days.

Myro laughed. Is there always so much drama with you omegas?

Says the man who spent hundreds of years as a recumbent battery.

Myro blinked. Fair.

So, you aren t attracted by those two ladies?

Breen shrugged. They are pretty enough, but we have a goddess, so we don t need pretty.

Hm. Myro has provided me with a temple, so how are we going to organize worship?

Breen laughed and pulled her onto his lap. I was thinking morning and nightly services.

Myro grinned. I have an idea for your vestments.

Breen nodded. And divesting you of them.

Poppy was cuddled up with her mates and smiled as the moon began to set.

What are you thinking, beloved? Myro murmured.

One. We don t have to wake up tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn-isn t-here-yet. And two. I almost didn t make it to this trip.

Breen chuckled. I, for one, am very glad you did. Cuddling with Myro would get old fast.

Wait. You work for different companies. You knew each other before?

Breen snorted. I am not as ambitious as Myro. He doesn t work for Tiberia; he is Tiberia. It s his company.

She threaded her fingers through Myro s hair and tugged his head back. When were you going to tell me?

When it was necessary. I do have legal working on a proper offer for you. I don t care if you work for Sityr, but you are going to be propositioned for a position with me about every six months. He defied her grip and kissed her. Well, an employed position. I like all the other positions that we have.

Huh. I don t know if I can sleep with the boss.

Well, I will try to get you used to it. He laughed. Are you up to sleep?

Yeah. It will be nice to sleep in or at least not have to leave the bed if I wake up early.

He smiled. Nice qualifier.

Breen kissed her shoulder. Excellent qualifier.

They snuggled together with the cool air blowing off the ocean, and Poppy settled in for some well-deserved rest. The strange number of Elite omegas here could be examined later.

The ladies had a lot going on, but that was something to deal with another day.